Tom Rahill of Lutz, Florida, captured 96 Burmese pythons in 10 days to win the $10,000 grand prize at the 2026 Florida Python Challenge, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced on August 4. The competition, held from July 10 to July 19, drew 907 participants from 30 states, Canada, and Vietnam, who collectively removed 280 pythons across eight designated hunting areas in South Florida.
Rahill’s haul included a 17-foot female python, which he captured to fulfill a mission for a veteran from his organization, SwampApes—a Broward County group he founded in 2017 to help military veterans with PTSD through python hunting. Rahill later expanded his efforts to maximize his total catch, focusing on deeper areas of the Everglades National Park, where all 96 of his snakes were captured.
The event featured three divisions: Professional, Novice, and Military. Christina Kraus won the Professional Division with 36 pythons, while defending grand prize winner Taylor Stanberry placed second with 34 snakes, earning $1,500. In the Military Division, Jeffery "Heath" Roser of the U.S. Army secured the $1,000 prize for the longest python caught, measuring 8 feet, 7 inches.
Beyond the grand prize, additional accolades were awarded for the longest snakes captured. Rahm Levinson won $1,000 in the Professional Division for a 16-foot, 5-inch python, while Vincent Poole took the Novice Division prize with an 8-foot, 2-inch snake.
The Florida Python Challenge, hosted by the FWC and the South Florida Water Management District in partnership with the National Park Service and the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, aims to mitigate the ecological damage caused by invasive Burmese pythons. These snakes, which have no natural predators in the Everglades, threaten native wildlife by consuming mammals, birds, and reptiles. The competition provides a structured effort to reduce their population while engaging the public in conservation efforts.
Officials emphasized that even the removal of a single python is considered a success for Florida’s ecosystem. The event’s organizers noted that the Everglades National Park remains a critical habitat for pythons, with some individuals reaching lengths of 19 feet and weighing over 200 pounds.